PastorRodney’s Weblog

2025 07/27 Psalm 17; Ultimate Satisfaction; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20250727_psalm-17.mp3

Prayer of the Hunted

Psalm 17 is a prayer for justice. It is a prayer to the LORD to protect and vindicate an innocent man who is threatened and in danger of death. Psalm 17 is a prayer of David. We are not given the occasion, but there were many occasions when David was on the run from king Saul.

I would venture that not many of us have literally been hunted, having to flee for our life. But we have probably all felt similar things in desperate situations. If the Lord is enough for David when he is quite literally being hunted down, do you think he is enough for you to turn to in whatever circumstance you find yourself?

This prayer is in three movements:

1-5 a plea for the LORD to hear a just cause

6-12 a call for God to display his loving protection

13-15 a confident plea for the LORD to punish and reward

YHWH Vindicate a Just Cause (1-5)

First, the Plea:

Psalm 17

A Prayer of David

1 Hear a just cause, O LORD; attend to my cry!

Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit!

2 From your presence let my vindication come!

Let your eyes behold the right!

David begins with three requests of YHWH God in verse 1; to hear, to attend, and to give ear. He asks for the Lord’s attention. He’s not asking that the sound waves reach him; he is looking for a response, in the way that you call 911 not to check that the connection is good and the responder on the other end can hear you; you want to know they are sending help.

He wants the Lord to attend to his just cause, his desperate cry, his prayer. He believes it is an issue of justice, which the Lord by his very character is obligated to respond to. But it is not something that can wait, it is urgent that the Lord intervene immediately, and yet it is a request, a prayer, in humility addressed to the King of kings whose ways are higher than our ways. And he gives the heart behind his request; it is not out of some secret motive; there is no hidden agenda. There is no deceit in his request He is a desperate man seeking intervention from the just Judge of all the earth.

And he asks for vindication from the presence of the Lord. God is absolutely just, and everything he does is right (Deut.32:4), and David asks for God to bring his glorious character to bear on his present situation. He invites the Lord to investigate and discern what is right based on the evidence, who is in the right.

Defense of Innocence

Verse 3 David defends his own character to the Lord. He is not claiming sinless perfection; but he knows his own heart and believes that in this matter his attacker has no ground against him.

Psalm 17

3 You have tried my heart, you have visited me by night,

you have tested me, and you will find nothing;

I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress.

4 With regard to the works of man, by the word of your lips

I have avoided the ways of the violent.

5 My steps have held fast to your paths;

my feet have not slipped.

Three ways the Lord is aware of his innocence; Lord, you have tried my heart; judged my inner motives. You have visited to investigate me in private; you have tested me, in the sense that a refiner purifies and proves a metal to be genuine. In all this he is confident there is no right ground for his attacker to stand on.

He defends his own motives; I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress. James tells us that

James 3:2 For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body.

He claims to be the wise man of Psalm 1 who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked. He is living life by the word of the Lord, not the ways of the violent. He is treading carefully and standing firm in the path of the Lord; he’s not treading on questionable slippery ground. His conscience is clear and he is confident the LORD will find no fault worthy of what his oppressors are doing.

Put on Display Your Wonderful Covenant Love (6-12)

In verse 6 he begins to lay out exactly what it is he wants God to do for him.

Psalm 17:6 I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God;

incline your ear to me; hear my words.

7 ​ Wondrously show your steadfast love,

O Savior of those who seek refuge

from their adversaries at your right hand.

8 Keep me as the apple of your eye;

hide me in the shadow of your wings,

9 from the wicked who do me violence,

my deadly enemies who surround me.

David calls out to the LORD because he is confident that God will answer him. In Elijah’s battle between the gods, in 1 Kings 18, the worshipers of Baal

1 Kings 18:28 And they cried aloud and cut themselves after their custom with swords and lances, until the blood gushed out upon them. 29 And as midday passed, they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice. No one answered; no one paid attention.

In Isaiah 44:14-19 the Lord mocks those who make for themselves false gods, bowing down to things their own hands have made, seeking help from them. He says you are as blind and deaf as the block of wood you worship.

God will answer; his ear is inclined, he will hear. David invites God to show up in big ways, to show off. He asks ‘wondrously show your steadfast love.’ In Genesis 18:14, when God tells the 90 year old Sarah and 100 year old Abraham that they are going to have a baby, and she laughs, God says ‘Is anything to hard (or wonderful) for the LORD?’ In the Exodus 3, when the Lord is about to deliver his people from slavery, he says I will ‘strike Egypt with all the wonders that I will do in it’ (Ex.3:20). Again in Exodus 34, before Israel leaves Mount Sinai, the Lord promises:

Exodus 34:10 And he said, “Behold, I am making a covenant. Before all your people I will do marvels [wonders], such as have not been created in all the earth or in any nation. And all the people among whom you are shall see the work of the LORD, for it is an awesome thing that I will do with you.

Wondrously show off your steadfast love; steadfast love is the Hebrew word we looked at a few weeks ago ‘chesed’, which means ‘a binding commitment to covenant love and faithfulness.’ Because God bound himself to David by a covenant, he obligated himself to David, and now David calls on God to put on display for all the world to see how the LORD treats his beloved.

He addresses the Lord as ‘Savior’; ‘yasha’, the root of Joshua, translated ‘Jesus’ in the Greek. God is a rescuer, a deliverer to all those in danger who take refuge in him.

He invites ‘keep me as the apple of your eye’; guard me, protect me in the same way you protect the pupil of your eye. Eyes are fragile, vulnerable, and we have eyelids that instinctively clamp shut when there is any perceived danger. Have you ever had something in your eye? Everything else ceases to be important, suddenly your whole being goes into protection mode doing whatever it takes to preserve your eye. That is the kind of protection David is asking for.

He uses another metaphor; this time of birds: ‘Hide me in the shadow of your wings’. A mother bird will cover its young with its wings, giving her own life if necessary to protect her young. Jesus said:

Matthew 23:37 ​“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, …How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!

In verses 8 and 9 David communicates the gravity of his situation. The wicked are doing him violence. Deadly enemies are surrounding him. This is literally a life or death situation. Verse 10 goes on:

Psalm 17:

10 They close their hearts to pity;

with their mouths they speak arrogantly.

11 They have now surrounded our steps;

they set their eyes to cast us to the ground.

12 He is like a lion eager to tear,

as a young lion lurking in ambush.

A mother bird against a hungry lion doesn’t seem like the odds are in your favor, but remember, David is crying out to YHWH God, whose weakness is stronger than the mightiest man’s strength (1Cor.1:25).

YHWH Arise, Punish and Reward (13-15)

Verse 13 begins his final plea:

Psalm 17

13 Arise, O LORD! Confront him, subdue him!

Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword,

14 from men by your hand, O LORD,

from men of the world whose portion is in this life.

You fill their womb with treasure;

they are satisfied with children,

and they leave their abundance to their infants.

15 As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness;

when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness.

Arise O YHWH! Wake up and spring into action on my behalf! Confront my enemies in their injustice; cut them off as they come to get me. Subdue them; make their knees buckle. YHWH God says that every knee will bow to him (Is.45:23; Phil.2:10). It is YHWH’s hand that saves from men who belong to this world’s system.

Ultimate Satisfaction

Men of this world are further described as those whose portion is in this life. Psalm 16 was clear:

2 I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.”

5 The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup;

11 …in your presence there is fullness of joy;

at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

For David, YHWH is his chosen portion, but for his enemies, their portion is in this life. Every good gift comes from the Lord, and children are a gift from the Lord. But children are not to be our greatest treasure. If we seek to find our satisfaction in our children, it will ruin us, and we will ruin them. Any person we elevate and expect them to be the source of our satisfaction will ultimately disappoint; only God is sufficient to satisfy.

And that is David’s hope. His ultimate desire is to behold the face of YHWH. This is what we were made for, he is the only one who can truly satisfy. This is the beatific vision; the sight that truly transforms us. I’ve been on mountain tops beholding stunning panoramic vistas. I’ve stood in awe and took in the grandeur; I’ve been moved in my soul. But I’ve come down from the mountain top, and eventually forgotten. It moved me, but it didn’t change me. But here, in the face of the LORD is the source of true and lasting transformation. Here’s how Paul puts it, in 2 Corinthians 3

2 Corinthians 3:18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

Beholding we are being transformed. This is the look that changes us. John puts it this way:

1 John 3:2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.

We will be like him, because we shall see him. Transformed into the same image. Here’s what Jesus himself says in John 17:

John 17:24 Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

We have been invited to behold and to be transformed into his likeness, restored to reflect the image of the invisible God (Col.1:15).

But we also know that “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live” (Ex.33:20).

That is why David says ‘I shall behold your face in righteousness.’ Throughout this Psalm he has been defending his own innocence, but righteousness is a gift. Romans 5:17 speaks of ‘those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness…’

Romans 4:6 just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:

Our ultimate hope is that we, clothed in the righteousness of Christ through faith (Is.61:10), now able to behold the glory of the LORD, are being transformed.

Psalm 17:15 …when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness.

This is our ultimate hope, not rescue from our present circumstances, but forgiveness, cleansing, being clothed in a righteousness not our own, ultimately the resurrection, when seeing his face, we find true satisfaction.

***

Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org

2025 07/20 Psalm 16; God Our Good ;Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20250720_psalm-16.mp3

Psalm 16 is one of my favorite Psalms. Psalm 15 asks the question of YHWH ‘Who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill?’ and it summarizes the character of one who is transformed by Jesus. It concludes ‘He who does these things shall never be moved’. Psalm 16 describes the heart of this one whose greatest treasure is God.

Psalm 16

A Miktam of David.

1 Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
2 I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord;

I have no good apart from you.”

3 As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones,

in whom is all my delight.

4 The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply;

their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out

or take their names on my lips.

5 The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup;

you hold my lot.
6 The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;

indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

7 I bless the LORD who gives me counsel;

in the night also my heart instructs me.
8 I have set the LORD always before me;

because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices;

my flesh also dwells secure.
10 For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,

or let your holy one see corruption.

11 You make known to me the path of life;

in your presence there is fullness of joy;

at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Prayer for Preservation

Psalm 16 begins with a prayer ‘preserve me’ and gives a reason ‘for in you I take refuge’. Why would the Lord preserve someone who is not trusting him, taking refuge in him? God has the power to preserve all those who hide themselves in him.

My Master and My Good

This Psalm opens with a declaration; ‘I say to YHWH, you are my master’; that is a statement of submission and surrender. The next declaration is a statement of the complete sufficiency of YHWH; ‘I have no good apart from you’. What are the goods that you enjoy? Good friends, good family, good food, good health, good sleep, earning good money, good entertainment? Apart from God, all these goods are no good at all. Every good gift comes from God, but to receive every good gift without a relationship with the giver, is to have no good. But to have God, to enjoy a reconciled relationship with God, even when every circumstance seems against you, is to have all you need. Romans 8 tells us

Romans 8:28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

‘All things’ even includes all the things we would class as ‘bad things’. But in right relationship with God, aeven the bad things God works together for our good. ‘I have no good apart from you’. Can you say that?

Understand, it is only those who make the first declaration who can also make the second. Those who have not surrendered to YHWH God as sovereign Master will never know the fullness of his goodness.

Saints or Sorrows

There is a contrast in the next verses between saints and sorrows. The saints, the ones who pursue holiness like that described in Psalm 15 are the ones who are the excellent ones, the mighty ones. It is the ones who are surrendered to the Lord, who choose God as their greatest good, who are those we take pleasure in, those we delight in. This is one of the things that makes church so pleasurable; we are gathered with the saints, those whose greatest good is the Lord, whose greatest desire is to enjoy him.

This is in contrast with those who run after other gods. YHWH God said

Deuteronomy 5:7 “‘You shall have no other gods before me.

Deuteronomy 6:13 It is the LORD your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear. 14 You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are around you—

For those who run after other gods, their sorrows shall multiply; this is an echo of the fall from Genesis 3:16

Genesis 3:16 To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; …

Where Eve ran after another god, submitted to a different master, her sorrows were multiplied.

The Psalmist is resolved; he will not worship other gods. He will not participate in their worship, he will not pray in their name.

My Portion, My Cup

Psalm 16

5 The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup;

you hold my lot.
6 The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;

indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

In verse 1, YHWH is my good. Here in verses 5-6, YHWH is my portion, my cup, my lot, my inheritance.

When God gave Israel the land of promise, they were to divide it equally and cast lots to determine which portion went to what tribe. All except for the tribe of Levi.

Numbers 18:20 And the LORD said to Aaron, “You shall have no inheritance in their land, neither shall you have any portion among them. I am your portion and your inheritance among the people of Israel.

Did they get the short end of the stick? No property allotment, no permanent possessions, no land holdings? ‘I am your portion and your inheritance’; is the LORD enough?

Numbers 18:21 “To the Levites I have given every tithe in Israel for an inheritance, in return for their service that they do, their service in the tent of meeting, 22 so that the people of Israel do not come near the tent of meeting, lest they bear sin and die.

Which would you rather have? David’s heart was clear on this matter:

Psalm 84:10 For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.

When David was hiding, running for his life from Saul who was hunting him like wild game, in 1 Samuel 26, when Saul was sleeping David crept into the camp, took a jar of water and Saul’s spear which was stuck in the ground by his head, but refused to lift up his hand against the Lord’s anointed. David’s actions demonstrated his lack of ill will, but his primary complaint was this:

1 Samuel 26:18 And he said, “Why does my lord pursue after his servant? For what have I done? What evil is on my hands? 19 Now therefore let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If it is the LORD who has stirred you up against me, may he accept an offering, but if it is men, may they be cursed before the LORD, for they have driven me out this day that I should have no share in the heritage of the LORD, saying, ‘Go, serve other gods.’ 20 Now therefore, let not my blood fall to the earth away from the presence of the LORD, for the king of Israel has come out to seek a single flea like one who hunts a partridge in the mountains.”

David’s main complaint was being cut off, not from his inheritance in the tribe of Judah, but from the presence of YHWH.

Set the LORD Always Before You

Psalm 16

7 I bless the LORD who gives me counsel;

in the night also my heart instructs me.
8 I have set the LORD always before me;

because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

YHWH gives wise counsel and correction, and David responds with worship. He has set YHWH always before him. We believe in the omnipresence of God; that simply means that there is no place where he is not; he is fully present everywhere. But to set the LORD always before me is to be focused on and fully aware of his presence. YHWH has his attention, YHWH is his focus, he is determined to follow wherever the Lord leads.

YHWH is before him, and YHWH is at his right hand. YHWH is his focal point, and YHWH is his ever-present help. In Psalm 15, he who lives in right relationship with God and neighbor will never be moved. Here it is because the Lord is always with him that he will never be shaken or moved.

Result: Joy and Security

What is the result of this God-centered existence, taking God as greatest treasure and closest friend, considering the nearness of God my greatest good?

Psalm 16

9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices;

my flesh also dwells secure.
10 For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,

or let your holy one see corruption.

The result is holy joy and exuberant rejoicing. Joy of heart and whole being, including security for the flesh, the most fragile and susceptible part of us. David’s confidence is staggering; even when being hunted his flesh would dwell secure, that he would not be abandoned to the place of the dead, that his body would not decay. David spoke greater than he knew. Both Peter and Paul pick up on this and point us to Jesus as fulfillment of this word. Peter in Acts 2 says:

Acts 2:23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. 24 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. 25 For David says concerning him, “‘I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken; 26 therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; my flesh also will dwell in hope. 27 For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption. 28 You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’ 29 “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, 31 he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses.

And Paul in Acts 13

Acts 13:34 And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way, “‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.’ 35 Therefore he says also in another psalm, “‘You will not let your Holy One see corruption.’ 36 For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption, 37 but he whom God raised up did not see corruption. 38 Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, 39 and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.

Both Peter and Paul discerned that David was speaking beyond himself about the greater David, the greater Anointed one, Jesus and the resurrection.

Fullness of Joy in Person and Work

The Psalm closes with this confidence:

Psalm 16

11 You make known to me the path of life;

in your presence there is fullness of joy;

at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Apart from God we have no good, sorrows are multiplied. YHWH God is our greatest treasure. When we come to know this, come to experience this, we have found life, real life, what life is meant to be. Jesus said:

John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Jesus is the path of life, and Jesus is the life. Jesus reconciles our relationship with his Father. If God is our only good, our portion, our cup, our lot, our inheritance, it is in his presence that there is fullness of joy. Joy in the face of God, joy in him, his person. And pleasures forever at his right hand. Who he is brings fullness of joy. What he does brings the kinds of pleasure we were made for. Pleasure at his righteous acts, overflowing joy at who he is. This is what we were made for.

***

Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org

2025 07/13 Psalm 15; Access to God; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20250713_psalm-15.mp3

Psalm 14 is a wisdom Psalm. Where Psalm 14 defines wisdom by its opposite, the fool who is morally corrupt, does what is offensive to God, and fails to do the good he ought to do, Psalm 15 describes the characteristics of the one who fears the LORD, who is welcome in his presence.

God’s Presence Our Greatest Good

Psalm 15 asks a question of YHWH God. “O LORD, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill?” Who is granted access? Who is fit to be a guest in the dwelling place of God? Who can reside in his holy presence?

This is the most important of all questions. This is David’s ‘one thing’ in Psalm 27

Psalm 27:4 One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple.

This is the one thing that satisfies our deepest longings, that realizes what we were made to enjoy. We don’t understand Middle-Eastern hospitality. When Abraham offers passing strangers a little water and a morsel of bread in Genesis 18,

Genesis 18:6 And Abraham went quickly into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quick! Three seahs [that’s about 50lbs] of fine flour! Knead it, and make cakes.” 7 And Abraham ran to the herd and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to a young man, who prepared it quickly. 8 Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them. And he stood by them under the tree while they ate.

To offer hospitality and invite one in is also to offer shelter and protection from any threats (Gen.19; Judg.19). The presence of God, to be invited in, is our greatest good.

The Danger of God’s Holy Presence

The Lord is a gracious host, extending hospitality to strangers, to those who don’t belong. But he is also holy holy holy; he is completely unique, distinct, other; in a class by himself, and he demands holiness in those who approach his high and holy hill.

This is what he said in the Exodus, when he set his people free:

Exodus 25:8 And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst.

Exodus 29:44 I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar. Aaron also and his sons I will consecrate to serve me as priests. 45 I will dwell among the people of Israel and will be their God. 46 And they shall know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt that I might dwell among them. I am the LORD their God.

God’s purpose, God’s desire is to dwell among his people. He is pursuing us in relationship. But as Aaron’s two sons Nadab and Abihu (Lev.10:1-3) discovered, the Lord’s holy presence is lethal to sinners who approach him without taking proper precautions. God’s Torah, God’s instructions contained explicit detail on the required purification for objects and for people, required sacrifices to cover different kinds of sins, and specified the right way to approach him.

The Heart of Access

The law’s focus was primarily on the outward physical preparations for entering the holy presence of YHWH, but this Psalm’s focus turns more toward heart and motives.

Psalm 15

A Psalm of David

1 O LORD, who shall sojourn in your tent?

Who shall dwell on your holy hill?

2 He who walks blamelessly and does what is right

and speaks truth in his heart;

3 who does not slander with his tongue

and does no evil to his neighbor,

nor takes up a reproach against his friend;

4 in whose eyes a vile person is despised,

but who honors those who fear the LORD;

who swears to his own hurt and does not change;

5 who does not put out his money at interest

and does not take a bribe against the innocent.

He who does these things shall never be moved.

There are character traits essential to the guest of God: Walking blamelessly; or positively, walking in a way that is whole, complete, full, sound. Who does what is right or is righteous. Who speaks truth in his heart; what comes out of your mouth and what is in your heart are perfectly aligned, and are true and trustworthy.

There are social evils inappropriate to the one invited in: two are verbal, one is action. The tongue is not meant for slander but for praise, not to tear down but to build up. We are to do no evil to to neighbor, but rather love neighbor as self. We are not to take up a reproach against one near to us, whether God or man.

Our hearts are to be aligned with the heart of God in how we view other people. The heart of God both loves and hates. We are to despise that which is vile, worthy of being despised, and those who fear the LORD we are to esteem and honor, treat with the dignity and respect they are due.

We are to have integrity in our word, in our finances, in our judgments. If we make a promise, we keep the promise, even if it costs us dearly. We don’t take advantage of those in difficult circumstances in order to make a profit off them. We don’t let money sway our convictions about justice and truth; we can’t be bought.

This is the kind of person that is constant, reliable, trustworthy, solid. They won’t be moved or shaken, because their foundation is strong. This is the kind of person who is welcomed in to God’s presence.

But None Does Good (Ps.14)

But remember, Psalm 15 comes right after Psalm 14, and Psalm 14 tells us

1… there is none who does good.

2 The LORD looks down from heaven on the children of man,

to see if there are any who understand,

who seek after God.

3 They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt;

there is none who does good,

not even one.

“O LORD, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill?” The answer from Psalm 14 is none, no one, not even one.

There is no one who walks blamelessly, righteously, with full integrity. There is no one who does not slander, who does no evil, who never takes up a reproach against another. There is no one whose heart is fully aligned with the Lord, who consistently honors what is honorable and despises what is despicable. There is no one who never breaks a promise, who never takes advantage of others, who is uninfluenced by the pressures others put on us.

Jesus The Only One

No one does good. No one seeks after God. None but Jesus that is. Jesus walked in a whole, a complete, a blameless way. Jesus was perfectly righteous, always doing what is right. Jesus is the Truth. He never slandered, never did evil to others, never reproached. He never celebrated what is vile but put the fear of his Father above all. He keeps his promises to us, even when it costs him everything. He invites us poor, needy, broken to come,

Isaiah 55:1 “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

Matthew 11:28 ​Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Jesus will not be manipulated by others. Jesus is the rock, solid, immovable. Jesus will never be shaken.

Jesus Brings us Near

Jesus is the one who makes a way for those who do no good, who fail to seek after God, who fail to meet the criteria of Psalm 15 to enter God’s presence. In Jesus, by the Holy Spirit we are transformed. Transformed from Psalm 14 to Psalm 15. Our corruption, our abominable deeds, our failure to do the good we ought to do is all taken away, nailed to his cross.

Ephesians 2:12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. 17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,

Strangers, aliens, those far off invited in, brought near, granted access in Christ to the Father through the Spirit.

Transformed By the Spirit

Born again by the Spirit, we are a new creation in Christ. God’s Holy Spirit begins to shape that Christlike character in us, developing in us a heart that is aligned with God’s heart, that loves God above all and loves neighbor selflessly. Walk by the Spirit, be led by the Spirit;

Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.

Psalm 15 is a description of the Spirit transformed, gospel transformed life.

With Me

“O LORD, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill?”

John 14:1 ​“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.

“Who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill?” Believers in Jesus.

John 17:24 Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

This is our hope. This is what we were made for.

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Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org

2025 07/06 Psalm 14; The Fool; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20250706_psalm-14.mp3

Psalm 14 is a wisdom Psalm. What does it mean to be wise? Often the easiest way to define something is by its antithesis. What does it mean to be wise? Don’t be a fool. But that word may not mean what you think it means; ‘fool’ might mean something different than you think. What is a fool? How does the text define a fool?

The Fool’s Relation to Self, God, and Neighbor

Psalm 1 began by contrasting the blessed man, the fruitful one, who delights in and meditates on the instruction of YHWH, and the wicked, the sinners, the scoffers, blown by the wind, empty like chaff.

How does Psalm 14 define a fool?

Psalm 14

To the Choirmaster. Of David

1 The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”

They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds,

there is none who does good.

2 The LORD looks down from heaven on the children of man,

to see if there are any who understand,

who seek after God.

3 They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt;

there is none who does good,

not even one.

4 Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers

who eat up my people as they eat bread

and do not call upon the LORD?

The fool refuses to acknowledge God. He boldly asserts ‘there is no God’, but this is more than a philosophical or existential assertion; at its root it is a moral one. The text goes on to describe the fool as one who is corrupt, morally decayed, corroded. Something once good has turned rotten. This is what the fool is.

Abominable deeds is what the fool does out of that corrupt heart. ‘Abominable deeds’ describes deeds that are offensive to a holy God. This is not merely the objective findings of an impartial judge; this describes emotional revulsion, things that are abhorrent to him, detestable, things that stir up his hot and holy hatred. In himself, the fool is decayed. In relationship to the God he denies, he is detestable.

In his relation to others, he fails to do the good he ought to do. We were created with moral obligations, moral responsibility, with purpose. When Jesus answers the question:

Matthew 22:36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 ​On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6 and Leviticus 19 to sum up the righteous requirements of the law; love God and love neighbor. The fool does what is abominable in God’s sight, and fails to do good to his neighbor. He fails to seek God, he turns aside from the good path; he is without true knowledge and understanding. The fool is an evildoer; he builds himself up at the expense of others; he feeds on God’s people. He fails to see his own need and call upon YHWH for rescue.

The fool is not a fool because of any lack of intelligence, but of covenant faithfulness, covenant love, doing good to others under God, in relationship with him, operating as his agent to do his good in this world. His is a moral, not an intellectual lack; it is a failure to know God, to live in relationship with God, to fear and to seek him.

The Wicked Fool of Psalm 10

We have met this fool already in the Psalms; in Psalm 10, it is the wicked man who renounces the LORD and says ‘there is no God’ (10:4). He is not denying the existence of God; instead he says three things to himself:

He says “I shall not be moved” (10:6). There will be no consequences for my actions.

He says “God has forgotten, he will never see it” (10:11). God is not paying attention, God doesn’t care what I do.

He says “God will not call to account” (10:13). There will be no justice, the evildoer will never be punished, God is not keeping record of wrongs, he will not defend the helpless and innocent, or bring vengeance on the perpetrators and oppressors.

The issue is not primarily intellectual, it is moral wickedness. The one who denies God is living for self at the expense of others, with the hope that he will never be held accountable for his wickedness.

The Lord Looks Down

Psalm 14

1 The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”

They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds,

there is none who does good.

2 The LORD looks down from heaven on the children of man,

to see if there are any who understand,

who seek after God.

3 They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt;

there is none who does good,

not even one.

The fool says, but YHWH looks. YHWH stoops down to investigate. We see this kind of language several times in Genesis; before God sent the flood to blot out mankind:

Genesis 6:5 The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. …11 Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.

Again before he dispersed the people from the tower of Babel:

Genesis 11:5 And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built.

Mankind united in rebellion against the Lord building a massive tower to reach to the heavens, and God as it were had to bend down to be able to see it. Again before he destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah:

Genesis 18:21 I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me. And if not, I will know.”

The fool of Psalm 10 says ‘God will never see, he will not call to account. But The Lord does see. He looks down on the children of man, he is acquainted with all our ways (Ps.139:3).

Hebrews 4:13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

The Lord is not only aware, but he will hold all mankind accountable.

Good Authority Under God

Psalm 14 is a Psalm of David. Many of the Psalms were written from the perspective of the anointed king. Kings and rulers were meant to exercise God’s authority under him, to uphold justice, to protect the innocent and punish lawbreakers. But human authority is always limited, and always rules imperfectly; sometimes because of corruption in the leader, sometimes simply because of human limitations. God is the ultimate King, who knows all, sees all, is perfectly good and just, who never takes a bribe and will never be deceived, who has all power and authority to punish and to protect. To say ‘there is no God’ is to deny any ultimate authority to whom I will be held accountable.

YHWH Protects the Righteous; Punishes the Fool

Psalm 14

4 Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers

who eat up my people as they eat bread

and do not call upon the LORD?

5 There they are in great terror,

for God is with the generation of the righteous.
6 You would shame the plans of the poor,

but the LORD is his refuge.

This is the knowledge the fool lacks; the long-range knowledge that although for the moment it appears those who disregard God get away with it, and even get ahead, God is with the generation of the righteous, YHWH is his refuge. Justice will be done. “Vengeance is mine, I will repay says the LORD” (Deut.32:35,41,43; Rom.12:19; Heb.10:30). The fool is shortsighted and blind, thinking God will not hold accountable those who disregard him and feed on his people. They fail to recognize their own need and call upon YHWH for help. There, in that God-denying state, in their refusal to acknowledge their need and call out to YHWH for help, they are in great terror. Although they tell themselves ‘there is no God’, there is a nagging suspicion the God they deny will one day hold them accountable.

Revelation 6:15 Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, 16 calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, 17 for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”

God is with the righteous, and will be a refuge for the needy.

Who Is Righteous? No, Not One

This Psalm draws a contrast between the fool and the righteous, but we should ask ‘Who is the righteous?’ Who seeks for God? We could assume that this Psalm is written from the perspective of the poor, the helpless, the innocent oppressed one, the righteous; and we generally put ourselves in that category. But this Psalm excludes that possibility. It is explicit; did you miss that? From God’s perfectly holy perspective, leaning in to look at the sons of man, he concludes ‘there is none who does good, not even one’. No, not you, no not anyone. None seeks God, no not one. When it says ‘all have turned aside, together they have become corrupt,’ all means all. We desperately want to stand on the moral high ground and look down at those wicked oppressors who feed on the poor and helpless, but if we look carefully, we find we are looking in the mirror.

Paul quotes this Psalm in Romans 3(:9-20) to make his case that all mankind, both Jew and non-Jew together are guilty before God, under just condemnation for our sins, the whole world held accountable to God. We need to understand our place in this contrast, and we are not righteous, no not one. We are the fool, the corrupt, the oppressor, the wicked, the evildoer. We are those who do abominable deeds in the sight of God; even those things we consider ‘good deeds’ done to win God’s favor are considered ‘filthy rags’ in his sight (Is.64:6).

Who is Righteous? Only Jesus (and those who are in Him)

Then who is the righteous? This Psalm does say that ‘God is with the generation of the righteous’, so who is the righteous? There is only one ‘who knew no sin’ (2Cor.5:21), who

1 Peter 2:22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.

1 John 3:5 …he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.

Who is the generation of the righteous? 1 Corinthians 1 says:

1 Corinthians 1:28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

Colossians 3:3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

Jesus is the only righteous one. If we attempt to stand on our own merits, we are part of the ‘all’ who are corrupt, who do abominable deeds, who do no good. But if we believe in Jesus, if by faith we come to be ‘in Christ Jesus’, then standing on his merits alone, we are ‘the generation of the righteous.’ Psalm 14:4 says the fool are those who do not call upon YHWH. But Joel 2 and Acts 2 and Romans 10 tell us “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

If you will but acknowledge that you are not good, but are corrupt, condemned, and call on the Lord Jesus for rescue, you will be saved, you will come to be ‘in Christ’ and counted among the righteous.

How does this Psalm describe the one who is righteous? It is the one who acknowledges God, who seek after him, who does good, who calls upon the LORD, who take refuge in him, who rejoices and is glad in him.

Salvation Produces Great Joy

This Psalm ends with a prayer;

Psalm 14

7 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!

When the LORD restores the fortunes of his people,

let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.

In those who see their desperate situation, their need, there is a longing for salvation. Not salvation from oppressors only, but from myself. From my sins. We know that salvation has come out of Zion, and his name is Jesus!

Luke 2:10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

***

Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org

2025 06/22 Psalm 13; Forgotten? ; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20250622_psalm-13.mp3

Have you ever felt abandoned? Like God is not listening? Like you’re alone, and your heart is heavy, but you still have to make decisions and move forward? Like those who don’t play by the rules get ahead, and you’re just stuck? Psalm 13 is a prayer you can resonate with.

The Psalms are prayers from real people facing real struggles with real emotion. But the Psalms are also God-breathed Scripture, God’s very word to us. Psalms is a divinely inspired prayer book that we can use in our own circumstances to pray back to God according to the will of God.

How Long, O YHWH?

Psalm 13

To the Choirmaster. A Psalm of David

1 How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever?

How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I take counsel in my soul

and have sorrow in my heart all the day?

How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

How long? This can’t possibly go on any longer! I really don’t think I can hold on much longer. I’m losing hope. How long must this go on? How long can this possibly go on? Where is the hope? Could that be a light at the end of this long dark tunnel, or just another oncoming train?

David is frustrated, but he still brings his frustration to YHWH. Who else should he bring it to? Who else can do anything about it? Who else already knows all about it? There’s a lot of people you could complain to, but why? What good would it do? David brings his complaint to YHWH God, the only one really and truly able.

But he is real with his questions; Will you forget me forever? I feel forgotten. To be remembered in the biblical language is a promise for action; God remembered Noah (Gen.8:1); God remembered Abraham (Gen.19:29); God remembered Rachel (Gen.30:22); God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob (Ex.2:24). When God is said to remember, it means that he is stirred to take action on behalf of the one he remembers. To be forgotten is for God to seemingly take no action on my behalf.

How long will you hide your face from me? David knows that there is nowhere he can go to hide from God’s presence (Ps.139:7-8). But for God to hide his face means to withhold his greatest blessing. The blessing on Israel was this:

Numbers 6:24 The LORD bless you and keep you; 25 the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; 26 the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

David’s prayer in Psalm 4(:6) was “ Lift up the light of your face upon us, O LORD!” And in Psalm 31(:16) “Make your face shine on your servant; save me in your steadfast love!” David’s one thing in Psalm 27 is this:

Psalm 27:4 One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple.

Listen to David’s longing in Psalm 63;

Psalms 63:1 O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. 2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory.

There is no greater blessing than to have the Lord’s face shining on us, to gaze upon his beauty, to behold his glory. A hidden face means relational distance, aloofness, alienation. How long will you hide your face from me?

“How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day?” The Lord is the ‘Wonderful Counselor’ (Is.9:6); to be cut off from his counsel and be forced to take counsel within myself is to have great sorrow of heart.

“How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?” The Psalmist’s enemies are proud, gloating, exalting themselves over him. We don’t know the exact circumstances, but this complaint could fit multiple circumstances. In relation to God, I feel distant, cut off. In relation to self, I am filled with sorrow, feeling alone, trying to figure it out on my own. In relation to those hostile to me, this gives them grounds to boast, to look down on me in pride.

Prayer To YHWH

In the next two verses he addresses his prayer to YHWH.

3 Consider and answer me, O LORD my God;

light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,
4 lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,”

lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.

Look, specifically look with favor, with grace and care. see me, notice me, pay attention. And answer; consider, and respond. Revive me; restore the light to my eyes.

And he gives three reasons; three consequences if God does not see, respond, and revive him. Lord, if you do not come to my rescue, I will sleep the sleep of death. I won’t make it through this one alive. If you do not save me, the enemy wins. He will proclaim victory. If you do not come to my aid, my foes will rejoice over me because I could not stand firm. There is ‘my enemy’ singular, and ‘my foes’ plural. There are enemies, and there is the enemy. I can only stand unmoved if you, Lord, come to my aid. God, if you don’t save me, you won’t get the glory; my enemies, the enemy, will revel in victory and get glory.

Do you see what the Psalmist is doing? He is arguing his case before YHWH God. In humility he is asking the Sovereign God for rescue, but he is boldly arguing his case, making the case that God will get glory, prevent the proud boasters from seeming to have the final word. YHWH, save me, because saving me displays your glory; you will be shown stronger than the enemy.

YHWH is Worthy

This Psalm begins with a desperate plea to YHWH, a fourfold ‘how long’. It continues with a bold prayer to YHWH for rescue, reasoned and rooted in the glory of God. It concludes with quiet confidence in YHWH, who is faithful, who saves, who is worthy of worship, who is abundantly gracious.

5 But I have trusted in your steadfast love;

my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
6 I will sing to the LORD,

because he has dealt bountifully with me.

The ‘I’ in this verse is emphatic; the enemy will not have the final word. As for me, I have trusted, I have run for refuge, I have placed my confidence in you. This is a resolved action, to live by faith in the all faithful God, to walk in dependent trust. The word translated ‘steadfast love’ is a rich and frequent one, the Hebrew word ‘chesed’ which includes the ideas of grace an mercy, favor and kindness, covenant faithfulness and committed covenant love. It is the centerpiece of God’s self-definition in Exodus 34;

Exodus 34:5 The LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. 6 The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 7 keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”

God has revealed himself as a God of ‘chesed,’ a merciful and kind commitment to his covenant love. When the Lord gives us his word, he can be trusted, and David is counting on God to be faithful to his covenant love.

His resolute confidence in YHWH overflows into appropriate responses. ‘My heart shall rejoice in your salvation’. Salvation is what he has asked for in verse 3. Salvation is what he is desperately waiting for in verses 1-2. Having voiced his complaint, having requested a response, having stated his confidence, he now is ready to respond with joy.

The foes were set to rejoice because of his instability, but he says ‘my heart will rejoice in your salvation.’

He says ‘I will sing to YHWH’ and he gives a reason ‘because he has dealt bountifully with me.’ Song is appropriate response to abundant and overflowing covenant love, but how does this square with how he started the Psalm? ‘How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?’ This doesn’t sound much like ‘he has dealt bountifully with me.’

It could be that David is looking further back beyond the present circumstances, back to his prior experiences of God’s covenant love and abundant blessings. And this gives him not only ground for song but also ground for confidence that God will again extend his steadfast love. It could be that David is stepping back to look at his present circumstance from a broader perspective; he is confident that this ‘momentary light affliction’ will soon be past, and God’s faithfulness makes it as good as done that he will be able to look back and sing of God’s bountiful blessings.

Gospel Connection

Here’s another way to look at it: David is the anointed one, YHWH’s anointed king. David concludes Psalm 18 this way,

Psalm 18:49 For this I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations, and sing to your name. 50 Great salvation he brings to his king, and shows steadfast love to his anointed, to David and his offspring forever.

Psalm 2 introduced us to YHWH’s anointed, the begotten Son of YHWH. ‘Anointed’ in Hebrew is ‘mashiach,’ where we get our word Messiah. David was YHWH’s anointed king, but David was a foreshadow of the greater David, the coming only-begotten, the Messiah King. The Anointed one will rule the nations, but David takes up a different strain in Psalm 13. Not the reigning king, but oppressed and crushed by enemies, forgotten by YHWH, who hides his face from him. These very different strains are both woven together throughout the Psalms; conquering king and righteous sufferer.

The greater David was anointed with the Holy Spirit, and the Father spoke from heaven “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Mt.3:16-17). Jesus is the Christ, the anointed Messiah King. But Jesus is also the righteous sufferer, whose foes rejoiced because he was shaken, and the enemy said ‘I have prevailed over him’.

Luke 23:35 And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!”

Jesus on the cross was forgotten, abandoned by the Father, who hid his face from him, as he cried out “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mt.27:46).

Jesus is both anointed king and righteous sufferer; it is precisely because he was forgotten, forsaken, abandoned, that he was exalted to the highest place:

Philippians 2:7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Jesus was as it were forgotten of the Father, so that we would always be remembered before him. The Father hid his face as Jesus bore my sins, so that we can enjoy the greatest blessing of the face of the Father always inclined toward us. Jesus did sleep the sleep of death, so that our eyes could be enlightened, so we can trust in his steadfast love, so we can rejoice in his salvation, so we can sing to the LORD because he has indeed dealt bountifully with me.

It is in Jesus, YHWH’s Anointed, that we experience God’s covenant love and bounteous blessings when we trust in him.

Use/Application

What circumstance are you facing? Have you ever felt abandoned? Like God is not listening? Like you’re alone, and your heart is heavy, but you still have to make decisions and move forward? Like those who don’t play by the rules get ahead, and you’re just stuck? How do you typically respond? How does this Psalm invite you to respond? Does the good news of Jesus change your perspective on your present circumstance?

***

Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org

2025 06/15 Psalm 12; The Power of Words; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20250615_psalm-12.mp3

The Power of Words

Psalm 12 is about the power of words. The very first verses of Holy Scripture point us to the inestimable power of words, and begin with these words.

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3 And God said, … and there was … 4 And God saw that [it] was good. …

The creation account is punctuated with this refrain “And God said… And it was so… and God saw that it was good.” Words are powerful. God’s words are creative. As God says about his word in Isaiah 55

Isaiah 55:11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

Words are powerful. God made something when there was nothing with nothing but a word. Hebrews (1:3) tells us that he holds the universe together by the word of his power.

You’ve probably heard it on the playground; “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me”; and you’ve probably also been on the receiving end of stinging words enough to know that the playground rhyme is simply not true. Words are powerful, and they can effect both great good and terrible evil. Proverbs 18 gives us a graphic contrast:

Proverbs 18:19 A brother offended is more unyielding than a strong city, and quarreling is like the bars of a castle. 20 ​From the fruit of a man’s mouth his stomach is satisfied; he is satisfied by the yield of his lips. 21 ​Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.

Words can offend, build walls, bring death; and words can build bridges, be fruitful, satisfying, life-giving.

We all have experienced the power of words, both destructive and life-giving.

Psalm 12 is about the power of words.

Psalm 12

To the Choirmaster: According to the Sheminith. A Psalm of David

1 Save, O LORD, for the godly one is gone;

for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man.
2 Everyone utters lies to his neighbor;

with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.

3 May the LORD cut off all flattering lips,

the tongue that makes great boasts,
4 those who say, “With our tongue we will prevail,

our lips are with us; who is master over us?”

Effective Short Prayers

This Psalm begins with the shortest of prayers; ‘Save, YHWH!’ A prayer doesn’t have to be long to be effective. Jesus taught that it is not because of many words that a prayer is heard (Mt.6:7-8).

When Peter, walking on the water in the storm began to sink, he simply cried out; ‘Lord, save me!’ (Mt.14:28-31). When you’re about to go under, you don’t have time for flowery eloquence. This prayer has all the necessary elements; a request for help, deliverance, rescue; save!; and the one to whom the request is directed, to YHWH God.

Faithful and Godly People Are No More

Save, O LORD. Verses 1 and 2 state the case; verses 3 and 4 offer a prayer to YHWH God. What is the situation that requires rescue? The godly one is gone, the faithful have vanished from among the children of men. No more are there people of integrity, people who seek God, people who can be trusted.

Elijah felt this in the days of wicked Ahab and Jezebel.

1 Kings 19:10 He said, “I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.”

I’m the only one left, Lord, and they seek my life.

Romans 11:4 But what is God’s reply to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”

You may feel alone, but you are not alone. It may look like there are no others who are faithful, no others who seek God, but God preserves his faithful remnant by grace.

Smooth Lips and Divided Loyalties

What is the evidence given that the faithful have vanished? Everyone utters lies to his neighbor; with smooth lips and a divided loyalty they speak. It is out of the heart that the mouth speaks, so the evidence for our heart condition is found in how we speak. Jesus agrees with this verdict:

Matthew 12:34 ​You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 ​The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. 36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak,

Speech is an amazing gift to us who are created in the image of God; the ability to communicate in words, to communicate abstract ideas, to say things that are at once true and beautiful. Words are relational, and God said ‘it is not good for man to be alone. We were meant for community, for relationship. We were meant to converse with God and with one another. God gave us words to tell us about himself, to communicate with us. He gave us his word, and his word stands true. He gave us his Word, the divine Word made flesh, to communicate most clearly about himself.

John 1:18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.

Hebrews 1:1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature,

Words are meant to communicate truth and deepen relationship. It is a great evil when words are twisted not for relationship but for power, to manipulate others, stories spun, words made smooth, easier to swallow, from a double heart meant to deceive rather than communicate. Masters of spin wield the tongue as a weapon to subject people to their will.

We could cite plenty of evidence of this today in our culture. But this is not new. Here is an example from Jesus’ interaction with those who wielded religious power in his day. Jesus was a threat to their authority; he had just come in to the temple and cleaned house, driving out those who were defiling it by turning it into an overpriced market rather than a place of prayer.

Luke 20:1 One day, as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders came up 2 and said to him, “Tell us by what authority you do these things, or who it is that gave you this authority.”

This seems like a fair question, simply seeking an answer. But their hearts are revealed in the previous verses.

Luke 19:47 And he was teaching daily in the temple. The chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people were seeking to destroy him, 48 but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people were hanging on his words.

They were not seeking information; they were seeking an opportunity to destroy him. So Jesus responds with a question:

Luke 20:3 He answered them, “I also will ask you a question. Now tell me, 4 was the baptism of John from heaven or from man?” 5 And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why did you not believe him?’ 6 But if we say, ‘From man,’ all the people will stone us to death, for they are convinced that John was a prophet.” 7 So they answered that they did not know where it came from.

Do you see what they are doing? They have an agenda, and an opinion. They know what they believe about Jesus, but they are more concerned about their public reputation and their own skin than they are about truth. They certainly won’t publicly admit they were wrong, and they can’t answer honestly and save face with the public, so they lie with a double heart not meant to communicate, but to deceive, to preserve power at all costs. By their duplicitous heart they forfeit the right to truth;

Luke 20:8 And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

Prayer For YHWH’s Intervention

How do you defend yourself when words are used to deceive and manipulate rather than communicate? The Psalmist appeals to YHWH to act:

3 May the LORD cut off all flattering lips,

the tongue that makes great boasts,
4 those who say, “With our tongue we will prevail,

our lips are with us; who is master over us?”

David appeals to YHWH to intervene, to cut off the lips and tongue of those who boast of the power of the tongue and their own sovereignty leveraged by lying lips. Their worthless words were rooted in arrogant pride and rebellious autonomy. They want to be lord so they will say whatever is needed to get and hold on to power.

David’s request sounds gruesome; cut off lips and tongue. But likely it was not meant to be carried out physically; rather cut off the flatterer’s ability to manipulate and prevail; remove their proud mastery gained by deception and lies.

The LORD’s Answer

In verse 5 the Lord answers this prayer; this is the word of the Lord.

5 “Because the poor are plundered, because the needy groan,

I will now arise,” says the LORD;

“I will place him in the safety for which he longs.”
6 The words of the LORD are pure words,

like silver refined in a furnace on the ground,

purified seven times.

In Psalms 3, 7, 9 and 10 the Psalmist cries out for YHWH to arise. Here God responds “I will now arise”. And he gives reason for being stirred to action. Because the poor are plundered, because the needy groan. God is aroused by the plea of the poor and needy. He is ready to come to the defense of the defenseless. He will bring safety to the oppressed.

These are the words of YHWH. They stand in stark contrast to the flattery, to the lies, to the duplicitous manipulation of those who abuse words to personal gain. The Lord’s words are pure. They are true. They are intended to reveal himself, his heart, to communicate, to comfort. The Lord has nothing to gain by coming to the aid of the poor and needy. It will actually cost him something.

When the boastful words of the wicked are weighed, they are found to be all dross, all impurity, all deception and lies; worthless. But when the Lord’s words are tested, they prove to be true, pure, without any mixture or imperfection; priceless. As Proverbs tells us:

Proverbs 30:5 Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.

God Gave Us His Word

Because God has given us his word, he gives us his Word. Our ultimate safety is not from the false words of lying men. Our greatest danger is the just word of condemnation from a holy God.

Psalm 130:3 If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? 4 But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared.

Even the poor and needy are not without fault. But because God has given us his word, he gives us his Word.

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

The Lord’s word of promise necessitated that he send the divine Word on a rescue mission, the Word who was with God and who was himself God, who for us and for our salvation became flesh, who bore our sins in his body on the tree. Maybe this is not the safety we were asking for, but this is the safety for which we truly long.

God’s Preservation Amid Continuing Evil

The Psalmist responds to God’s words with confidence.

7 You, O LORD, will keep them;

you will guard us from this generation forever.
8 On every side the wicked prowl,

as vileness is exalted among the children of man.

You will keep them. Who or what is ‘them’? The nearest antecedent is in the previous verse ‘the words of the LORD’. When YHWH gives his word, he will keep it.

Numbers 23:19 ​God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?

The Lord is faithful to his word, and he is faithful to us his people. He will keep his word, and he will keep us. He will guard us from this generation forever. This is no romantic escapism; David is aware the present circumstances have not changed. ‘On every side the wicked prowl, as vileness is exalted among the children of man.’ The wicked prowl; vileness is exalted among the children of man. But we now know that ‘the faithful have not vanished from among the children of man.’ those who are full of faith, believing in the Word of God made flesh, he will keep his word to us, and he will keep us.

Jesus prayed for us:

John 17:14 ​I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.

Peter encourages us with the keeping power of God.

1 Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Peter too sees the reality of our situation, and gives us confidence.

1 Peter 5:8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, …

Jude ends his short letter with worship to the God who

Jude 1:24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

***

Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org

2025 06/08 Psalm 11; In YHWH I Take Refuge; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20250608_psalm-11.mp3

Psalm 11 is a declaration of faith in YHWH, the Lord.

Psalms help us to pray. Many of the Psalms, like many hymns and contemporary worship songs, are addressed directly to the Lord; while some are addressed to the worshiping community to encourage one another in our faith. This is one of those Psalms; it is a statement of trust in YHWH to stand firm and wait on him in times of trouble, when it seems like the wise thing to do would be to run and hide.

Psalm 11

To The Choirmaster, of David

1 In the LORD I take refuge

how can you say to my soul,

“Flee like a bird to your mountain,
2 for behold, the wicked bend the bow;

they have fitted their arrow to the string

to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart;
3 if the foundations are destroyed,

what can the righteous do?”

Pre-Decide to Trust YHWH

The prescript reminds us that this is a song that is meant to be sung by the gathered congregation; it is ‘for the music director, by David.’

This Psalm opens with a declaration of trust in YHWH; ‘In the LORD I take refuge.’ This is primary. This is essential. Where is your hope? What are you trusting in? When times of trouble come (and they will come), that is not the time to decide who or what you will turn to. It is essential that you pre-decide that before the troubles are upon you, or you will likely make a bad decision in the moment. Where does your hope lie? What are you counting on, depending on, trusting in? Who or what will you run to in times of trouble? There are a lot of things in this world that promise to be a place of refuge when things get rough. But David has already resolved ‘In YHWH I take refuge.’

Well-Meaning Counsel to Flee

He asks the question ‘how can you say to my soul?’ Apparently he has people in his life, friends, counselors, giving him advice. These could be mischievous mockers taunting him to run away, but more likely it is well meaning friends, trusted advisors who see what is coming and are counseling his best course of action. It could be his own fears speaking to him, telling him what he ought to do.

His response is to this advice is almost an expression of shocked disbelief; how can you say that? How can you tempt my soul to trust in anything but YHWH?

1 In the LORD I take refuge

how can you say to my soul,

“Flee like a bird to your mountain,
2 for behold, the wicked bend the bow;

they have fitted their arrow to the string

to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart;
3 if the foundations are destroyed,

what can the righteous do?”

If the Foundation are Destroyed

It is a dark day when the wicked shoot in the dark at the upright in heart. It is difficult to defend yourself when you can’t see where the attacks are coming from. The situation seems imminent; the arrow is fitted to the string, the bow is bent; all the wicked have to do is let their arrows fly. It feels as if the very foundations of society have been demolished. There is no justice, no order, right is wrong and wrong prevails. When the very fabric of society seems to unravel, what can the righteous do? The urge to self preservation is strong. To flee seems the only option.

Fleeing and Trusting

We know David did flee like a bird to the mountains on several occasions, when he was being hunted by Saul, and again later from the coup of his son Absalom. He took refuge in the mountains, but the mountain was not his refuge. There are times to stand firm, and there are times to take wise steps to avoid trouble. Either way, our trust must not be in the action we take, but in the LORD who can grant success or failure to our wise action. Taking refuge in the LORD is not an excuse for inaction; it is a reaffirmation of what it is we are ultimately putting our hope in.

What can the righteous do? If the circumstance is as bad as it is made out to be, it might already be too late to get away. The one who is truly righteous will take refuge in YHWH. In reallity there is no other refuge.

Focus on the Unseen Reality

The counselors are counseling to look at an unseen reality; there are wicked people hiding in the dark ready to shoot.

The Psalmist has his eyes fixed on a different unseen reality. There is an unseen reality much greater than any enemy, seen or unseen, real or imagined. Almost every line of the rest of this Psalm begins with God’s covenant name YHWH. David has his eyes fixed on his God.

4 The LORD is in his holy temple;

the LORD’s throne is in heaven;

his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man.
5 The LORD tests the righteous,

but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.
6 Let him rain coals on the wicked;

fire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.

The wicked may be lurking in the dark, but YHWH God is still on his throne. YHWH is in his holy temple. This is a Psalm of David, and it wasn’t until David was gone that his son Solomon built the temple in Jerusalem. But David has his eyes not on the earthly replica yet to be built, but on the heavenly reality. YHWH’s throne is in heaven. YHWH is in heaven, but his eyes see even what the wicked do under cover of darkness. He sees all, he knows all; not one thing escapes his notice. The Sovereign Lord is scrutinizing, examining all people.

YHWH Tests the Righteous and Hates the Wicked

YHWH tests the righteous. This is not a test that is pass or fail to determine if someone is righteous; he has already declared them righteous. This is a test in the sense of proving, displaying them as righteous. He knows them to be righteous, but the test gives opportunity to demonstrate what he knows them already to be. More on this in a moment.

Not so the wicked. Verse 5 says that ‘his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.’ There’s a common saying ‘God hates the sin but loves the sinner’, and there’s some truth to that. John 3:16 tells us that God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, and Romans 5 tells us that ‘while we were still sinners, Christ died for us’. God has set his love on us sinners, in order to rescue, redeem, transform us from sinners to saints. But there is also a sense, as this Psalm says, that ‘his soul hates the wicked.’ Not just what they do but who they are; those opposed to God and his rule. Those that have set themselves against God, those who love violence. They love what God hates, so his soul hates them.

Verse 6 is a prayer; let him rain coals on the wicked. Give them, Lord, what they deserve. If there are those lurking in the dark, loving violence, arrow on the string, bow bent and ready, intent on destroying the foundations, Lord you see. Lord, you know. Lord, you are the only one who can intervene. You Lord, are my refuge. Pour out divine justice from your throne in heaven on their heads!

The Cup of Wrath

David uses an interesting phrase here; fire and sulfur and scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup. These divine judgments echo back to God’s judgment in Genesis 19 on the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah;

Genesis 19:24 Then the LORD rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the LORD out of heaven. 25 And he overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.

… 28 And he [Abraham] looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and toward all the land of the valley, and he looked and, behold, the smoke of the land went up like the smoke of a furnace.

This divine wrath, David says, is the portion of their cup. The prophets, especially Isaiah and Jeremiah expand on this metaphor of a cup.

Jeremiah 25:15 Thus the LORD, the God of Israel, said to me: “Take from my hand this cup of the wine of wrath, and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it. 16 They shall drink and stagger and be crazed because of the sword that I am sending among them.” 17 So I took the cup from the LORD’s hand, and made all the nations to whom the LORD sent me drink it:

Gospel Connection:

We may be uncomfortable with God’s hatred of the wicked, and his preparing a cup of divine wrath for them to drink. We want to identify as the righteous but we also want to sympathize with and defend the wicked. But here’s what God’s word says “None is righteous, no, not one” (Rom.3:10). We all are in the category of the wicked, deserving divine wrath as the portion of our cup.

But the Lord also makes it clear in Ezekiel:

Ezekiel 33:11 Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?

The Lord says in Isaiah 55:

Isaiah 55:7 let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

None of us is righteous, no not one. We are all in the category of the wicked, and the portion of our cup is God’s just wrath. But God takes no delight in punishing the wicked, but in turning us from our evil ways; YHWH is ‘a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty’ (Ex.34:6-7).

How can God be both forgiving of sins, and by no means clear the guilty?

This helps us understand Jesus’ prayer in the garden; “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will” (Mt.27:39). Jesus was looking into the portion of my cup, what I deserve, and he drank it in my place. Justice was served, he took my guilt on himself, and paid the price justice demands. What is left for me?

7 For the LORD is righteous;

he loves righteous deeds;

the upright shall behold his face.

Now that the cup of God’s wrath is drained, there is compassion, there is grace, there is abundant pardon for me when I run to Jesus for refuge. YHWH is righteous, and he loves righteous deeds. Not works done by us in our own self-righteousness (Titus.3:5).

Ephesians 2:4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved— …8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

YHWH is righteous, and he loves righteous deeds, those created by his amazing grace, those he prepared in advance for us, and us for them, that we should walk in them. YHWH is righteous, he is pleased when we walk in his grace received by faith, by running to him for refuge from him, from his wrath that we justly deserve.

The outcome? Now that we are counted righteous in Christ, Jesus’ own perfect record of righteousness credited to me by faith, ‘the upright shall behold his face.’ It just doesn’t get any better than that! YHWH’s eye is on us, his face is toward us, to test us, not to see if we are righteous, but to display, by how we respond to the troubles that come, who we are trusting in. Do we take refuge in our own wisdom, in seemingly wise counsel? Or is YHWH our only refuge? Do we long for better circumstances, to be out of the test, or do we long to see his face?

***

Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org

2025 06/01 Psalm 10; The Arrogance of the Wicked; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20250601_psalm-10.mp3

YHWH Protects, Watches Over, Upholds

We’ll be in Psalm 10 today.

Psalm 68:5 Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation.

Psalm 146:9 The LORD watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

God cares for the hurting, the helpless, the broken in society. God cares. In his law, God established means for his people to care for the helpless, and threatened his wrath against those who used their power to mistreat the vulnerable (Ex.22:21-27).

Psalm 9 and 10 are a pair; together they make up a partial acrostic poem in the Hebrew, they share some unique vocabulary, and look at the issue of God’s seeming injustice and failure to act from different angles. Psalm 9 begins with a resolve to give thanks, to worship God for his works and his person, his character, his justice, his power. Psalm 9 celebrates the poetic justice that returns on the head of the one who intends evil. It reminds us that the needy and afflicted are not forgotten, and it invites YHWH to arise and act.

Psalm 10 is a lament, spending more time describing the wicked in their thoughts, words, and deeds, and cries out again for YHWH to arise and not forget the afflicted.

The Psalms help us pray. They are full of faith, but also real, raw, sometimes ragged. Where Psalm 9 focuses on the God of justice and the certain judgment to come; Psalm 10 focuses on the now, where the vulnerable are oppressed, and those in power who oppress them seem to thrive with no consequence.

There is tension between these two Psalms. Psalm 9 confidently asserts:

9:9 The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed,

a stronghold in times of trouble.
But Psalm 10 laments:

10:1 Why, O LORD, do you stand far away?

Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?

“Times of trouble” is a unique phrase found only here in 9:9 and 10:1; causing us to feel the tension; is YHWH a stronghold in times of trouble, or does he stand far off and hide himself in times of trouble?

‘Why?’ The question ‘why’ can express exasperation; it ought not be so, it makes no sense, so make it stop. ‘Why’ can also be formed as a genuine question seeking an explanation; rooted in confidence that there is a good reason, looking to grow in understanding and maturity.

We might expect Psalm 10 to come first, as it asks the question ‘why’ that is answered in Psalm 9. We might expect the sequence to move from question and doubt into faith, confidence and worship. But that is not always our experience. Sometimes we begin with simple confidence, but the complexities of life and the harsh reality of living in this broken world cause us to cry out with a ‘why?’ that is more a call for God to act than it is an expression of doubt in him.

Profile of the Wicked

Psalm 10

1 Why, O LORD, do you stand far away?

Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?

2 In arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the poor;

let them be caught in the schemes that they have devised.
3 For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul,

and the one greedy for gain curses and renounces the LORD.
4 In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him;

all his thoughts are, “There is no God.”
5 His ways prosper at all times;

your judgments are on high, out of his sight;

as for all his foes, he puffs at them.
6 He says in his heart, “I shall not be moved;

throughout all generations I shall not meet adversity.”
7 His mouth is filled with cursing and deceit and oppression;

under his tongue are mischief and iniquity.
8 He sits in ambush in the villages;

in hiding places he murders the innocent.

His eyes stealthily watch for the helpless;
9 he lurks in ambush like a lion in his thicket;

he lurks that he may seize the poor;

he seizes the poor when he draws him into his net.
10 The helpless are crushed, sink down,

and fall by his might.
11 He says in his heart, “God has forgotten,

he has hidden his face, he will never see it.”

Arrogant Pride

This is a detailed description of the wicked. Verse 2 gets to the root of it; pride, arrogance; puffed up, thinking too much about oneself, and thinking too much of oneself. In verse 2 is a prayer, a prayer for retribution; ‘let them be caught in the schemes that they have devised.’

In Thought

Verses 3-6 give the heart behind it; they boast in their desires. It’s all about what they want; they are greedy for gain. And in that they blaspheme and renounce the LORD. As Jesus said, you cannot serve two masters (Mt.6:24). These are not outsiders; they are part of God’s people, but by their inordinate allegiance to their own pleasures they deny the Lord. As Jesus said in the parable of the soils,

Mark 4:19 but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.

Pride chokes out dependence. An ‘I can do it’ attitude does not seek help, certainly not God’s help. His thoughts completely leave God out, ignore God, disregard his very existence. He takes no thought of God.

Verse 5 is startling; ‘his ways prosper at all times’. Proud blasphemous self-sufficient God ignoring people should be brought low, but instead he prospers. Everything seems to be going his way.

God’s judgments are acknowledged by the Psalmist, but from the perspective of this arrogant one, they are out of sight. God’s judgments are pictured as high, so high they are out of sight, but they are sure and certain, hanging precariously over the head of the rebellious and proud.

He puffs at his enemies; he blows them off with a breath. His self talk is ‘I shall never be moved,’ but only God is immovable. He affirms himself that even his children and children’s children will not encounter adversity. There will be no consequences.

In Word

In verse 7 his thoughts and self-talk come out of his mouth. Jesus said ‘out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks’ (Lk.6:45). It comes out in cursing, deceit, oppression, mischief, iniquity.

In Deed

This one is wicked in thought, word and deed. Verses 8-10 describe his actions; he sits in ambush, he murders, he watches, he lurks in ambush, seizes, draws into his net, he causes his prey to be crushed, to sink down, to fall. Pride and arrogance is not content with thougths and words; he must prove himself superior by cunningly hunting and entraping those he views as beneath him. He is likened to a hunting lion.

His victims? The innocent, the helpless, the poor; the very ones YHWH says he protects, watches over, upholds. But this one concludes: “God has forgotten, he has hidden his face, he will never see it.” The God he told himself in verse 4 that doesn’t exist, this is the God he now claims has forgotten, has hidden his face, will never see. He has to reassure himself that the God that he claims is not, will not see what he does or hold him accountable.

Arise O LORD!

But the Psalmist knows better. The God the arrogant man says is not, is the God the Psalmist knows by name; YHWH, the I AM, the one who is. He calls on the God who is to arise, to act, to demonstrate that he is, and that he has not forgotten. Verse 12:

12 Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up your hand;

forget not the afflicted.
13 Why does the wicked renounce God

and say in his heart, “You will not call to account”?
14 But you do see, for you note mischief and vexation,

that you may take it into your hands;

to you the helpless commits himself;

you have been the helper of the fatherless.
15 Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer;

call his wickedness to account till you find none.

He asks another ‘Why?’ In verse 3 he asserted the arrogant renounces YHWH; here he asks ‘Why does the wicked renounce God?’ In other Psalms (14, 53) it is the fool who says in his heart, ‘there is no God’. Why? Because he is a fool, because he lives for his pleasures, his desires, for the now, with a foolish hope that he will not be held accountable to a God he would like to believe does not exist. Why does he say in his heart ‘You will not call to account’? The truth is that YHWH, you do see, and you take note, and you will take it into your hands.

The helpless one commits himself (literally abandons himself) to you YHWH. Where is my hope? Not in the rich or powerful; they are the oppressor in this Psalm. Not in becoming one, for that has its own dangers, and may be out of reach. The wise man sees things as they truly are and abandons himself to the Lord, the helper of the fatherless.

The Psalmist calls for the LORD to lift up his hand and break the arm of the wicked and evildoer. A hand is relatively weak compared to an arm, which is a symbol of strength. And yet, as we saw in Psalm 8, the heavens are the work of YHWH’s fingers, so his hand is more than able to break the strength of evildoers.

Call his wickedness to account till you find none. What the proud wishes will not happen, the believer calls on God to do. God is just, and will account for every sin until none is left to account for. The word translated ‘call to account’ in these verses is the word from 9:12 ‘He who avenges blood’; he who calls to account any blood shed.

Gospel Connection

Paul quotes verse 7 in Romans 3, alongside Psalm 14, 53, 5, 140, here in Psalm 10, Proverbs 1; Isaiah 59; Psalm 36, to give God’s verdict on his people.

Romans 3:9 What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, 10 as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; 11 no one understands; no one seeks for God. 12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” 13 “Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” 14 “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” 15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood; 16 in their paths are ruin and misery, 17 and the way of peace they have not known.” 18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” 19 Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God.

‘All’ includes all of us. ‘No, not one’ means I am not the exception. In Psalms like this we tend to identify with the oppressed, the needy, the helpless, the victims. But the New Testament turns around and says we all are those who forget God, who think and talk and act as if God did not exist, who live for our own desires, often at the expense of others. It is our mouths speaking blasphemies that must be stopped, it is I who will be held accountable to God. We want desperately to point the finger at others and pretend as if we are guiltless, but that is simply not true. And God is just. He is righteous. He sees. He takes note. And he will call all to account. The fool says in his heart there is no God, but the wise will humble himself, recognize he is helpless, and abandon himself to God. That is what it means to have faith, to believe. I have no place to hide from God, so I abandon myself to God and his mercy. I throw myself on him as a proud evil doer deserving to be called to account, but in need of a refuge, a stronghold in times of trouble.

This only makes sense at the cross, in Jesus, who willingly endured what I deserve, so that my record could be wiped clean, paid in full. If I abandon myself to God’s mercy and grace, he is both faithful and just to forgive, to cleanse, to welcome me in, no longer as an evildoer, but a son. He is a Father to the fatherless, adopting, welcoming us in.

YHWH is King

16 The LORD is king forever and ever;

the nations perish from his land.
17 O LORD, you hear the desire of the afflicted;

you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear
18 to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed,

so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.

YHWH is king forever and ever. YHWH hears, he strengthens, he inclines his ear, he does justice. The wicked boasts in his evil desires; but the Lord hears the desire of the afflicted. The wicked hopes that God has forgotten, but the man of faith is amazed that God is mindful of him (Ps.8:4). The evildoer hopes that the Lord has hidden his face, but the helpless knows that ‘in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore’ (Ps.16:11).

Numbers 6:24 The LORD bless you and keep you; 25 the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; 26 the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

***

Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org

2025.05/25 Psalm 9; God Enthroned in Justice; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20250525_psalm-9.mp3

Psalm 9 and 10 are a pair; together they make up a partial acrostic poem in the Hebrew, they share some unique vocabulary, and look at the issue of God’s seeming injustice and failure to act from different angles. We will look at this more next week when we look at Psalm 10.

The Psalms teach us how to pray. They give us examples of how to pray in different circumstances. They get us started when we struggle to pray.

Recounting God’s Works, Enjoying His Person

Psalm 9

To the choirmaster: according to Muth-Labben. A Psalm of David

1 I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart;

I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.
2 I will be glad and exult in you;

I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

Giving thanks is a great place to anchor yourself in God. The resolve to worship precedes the request. In verse 13 David appeals to YHWH for grace in the middle of his affliction. But his prayer is anchored in God. YHWH is the giver of every good, and the Psalmist is resolved to give appropriate thanks with his whole heart. He is resolved to recount the wonders of God, wonders like God’s historic and supernatural deliverance of his people time and time again. But even more than the works of God, he will find joy and reason to worship in the very person of God himself, who he is. His mighty works flow out of his identity, his character, so David resolves to sing praise to the name of the Most high.

Start here. If you get nothing else, do this. Give him the thanks he is due, remember his past deeds of power, find your joy and contentment in his person, his character, his nature, his name, who he is. If you resolve to do this, it will change your attitude, your outlook, everything!

Recounting God’s Justice

3 When my enemies turn back,

they stumble and perish before your presence.
4 For you have maintained my just cause;

you have sat on the throne, giving righteous judgment.

5 You have rebuked the nations; you have made the wicked perish;

you have blotted out their name forever and ever.
6 The enemy came to an end in everlasting ruins;

their cities you rooted out;

the very memory of them has perished.

Here David is doing just that. He is recounting God’s past faithfulness to him. God is a just judge, he maintains a just cause, he gives righteous judgments. He rebukes, he punishes the wicked; he gives them what they deserve.

We don’t know when in David’s life he penned this, but whenever it was, there were events he could look back on that displayed that God was on his throne, maintaining a just cause and giving the enemy what they deserve. In my own personal history, God has always been faithful.

Praising God’s Position of Power

7 But the LORD sits enthroned forever;

he has established his throne for justice,
8 and he judges the world with righteousness;

he judges the peoples with uprightness.

9 The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed,

a stronghold in times of trouble.
10 And those who know your name put their trust in you,

for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.

YHWH’s position is unmovable. He is seated, not fretting, not pacing, but enthroned. Sure, constant, reliable, unchanging. He is perfectly just, and his jurisdiction is not limited; he judges the whole world, all peoples. He is a just judge, all seeing, all knowing, all powerful, everywhere present; and that ought to be a terrifying prospect for lawbreakers.

But he is also a stronghold, a refuge, a hiding place for the oppressed. Those who know his character run not away from him, but right into his merciful and compassionate arms. He will never forsake his people, those who seek his face.

Invitation To Evangelistic Worship

11 Sing praises to the LORD, who sits enthroned in Zion!

Tell among the peoples his deeds!
12 For he who avenges blood is mindful of them;

he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.

YHWH is worthy of worship, and David’s worship overflows in an invitation to others to join him in worship. YHWH is enthroned forever, and YHWH is enthroned in Zion, among his people. David invites his fellow Israelites to sing praise to YHWH because the judge of all the earth has made his dwelling place among them. They of all people ought to be able to proclaim his wonderful works among the nations. They have personally experienced his care for them, and so are uniquely equipped to declare among other people groups both his overwhelming power and his tender care, inviting the afflicted from every nation to cry out to him.

Prayer For Salvation

David has recognized the Lord’s works and his person as worthy of praise and thanksgiving. He has praised God’s justice, and his mercy to the oppressed. He has invited others to join in worship, evangelistically proclaiming the mighty works of God among the nations and inviting their afflicted to call out to him. Now David himself as one of the afflicted cries out to God for salvation.

13 Be gracious to me, O LORD! Be gracious, see me in my affliction.

See my affliction from those who hate me,

O you who lift me up from the gates of death,
14 that I may recount all your praises,

that in the gates of the daughter of Zion

I may rejoice in your salvation.

He is confident that the Lord is the one who lifts him up from the gates of death, and this is an invitation to do so again. And he gives God a reason; be gracious, that I may recount all your praises, publicly in the gates, enjoying your salvation.

David is inviting God to save him, and he is telling the Lord, ‘here’s what’s in it for you, Lord; if you have mercy on me, this will ultimately benefit you. You should rescue me, not only for my sake, but for the sake of your own reputation, for your own glory.’ That may sound like a bold move, but this is not the only place we see the Lord’s people praying like that. Abraham (Gen.18:25), Moses (Num.14:15-20), Daniel (9:17,19) all pray that way. God himself argues this way in Isaiah (48:11) and Ezekiel (36:21-23). God is pleased when we begin to pursue his glory as our greatest goal.

Wicked Snared

15 The nations have sunk in the pit that they made;

in the net that they hid, their own foot has been caught.
16 The LORD has made himself known; he has executed judgment;

the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands.
— Higgaion. Selah

We saw similar language in Psalm 7, where the wicked man makes a pit and falls into it himself. Here it is the nations who have set themselves against the Lord and his anointed (Ps.2). YHWH makes himself known in his righteous judgment when he returns the evil that a man intends for others back on his own head. God’s justice and righteousness is seen by the nations, his character is made known.

It is important to note that YHWH has made himself known. What can be known about God through his creation is real, but severely limited. It is enough to leave us without excuse (Rom.1:19-20):, but it is not enough really to know him. We can’t really know him unless he chooses to reveal himself to us. And this is what God is happy to do. He makes himself known because he wants us to know him.

The Needy Not Forgotten

17 The wicked shall return to Sheol,

all the nations that forget God.

18 For the needy shall not always be forgotten,

and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever.

In verses 11-12 There is an invitation to the afflicted of the nations to cry out to the Lord and receive his care and concern. Here there is a warning to the God-ignoring nations who oppress the weak and helpless. He says the wicked will return to Sheol because ‘death is their native element’ (Kidner, p.70).

The nations who forget God are those who choose to act as if God did not exist. It may seem as if God is acting like he has forgotten the poor and needy, but he has not. He will demonstrate that he is just and mindful of them, and those who treat them as if God did not exist will be returned to the place of forgetfulness.

Arise, O LORD!

19 Arise, O LORD! Let not man prevail;

let the nations be judged before you!
20 Put them in fear, O LORD!

Let the nations know that they are but men!
— Selah

Again there is an echo here of Psalm 7 where God is called on to awake and spring into action; Arise, O YHWH. Get up and defend the honor of your name. Man is pretending to be God. Teach them what it means to be man, let them not prevail, but grant them the fear of YHWH.

Jesus in Psalm 9

David is confident of God’s justice but also cries out for justice, he is confident that God sits enthroned, but calls YHWH to arise and judge the nations. He calls for God to remember the needy, the poor, the oppressed, the afflicted. What David cries out for is realized in the greater David; the enthroned Son of God.

God makes himself know in his justice, but he is most fully made known in the person of Jesus.

John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

…18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.

John 14:7 ​If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” …9 …Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. …

It is in Jesus that the needy and poor are not forgotten.

Luke 4:18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 19 ​to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

It is also in Jesus that the wicked oppressors are exposed for what they truly are;

Matthew 23:27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness.

It is in Jesus that God’s throne of justice will be fully established;

John 5:22 The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, 23 that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.

Matthew 25:31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left.

When we call for the LORD to arise and judge the nations, we are really anticipating the return of Jesus,

2 Thessalonians 1:7 …when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels 8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, 10 when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.

Jesus is also the hope for the nations

Matthew 12:18 “Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. 19 He will not quarrel or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets; 20 a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory; 21 ​and in his name the Gentiles will hope.”

Today when we give thanks to YHWH with our whole heart, when we recount his wonderful deeds, we can recount the wonderful deeds of Jesus. We can be glad and exult in Jesus, because he has shown us the Father, and through his death and resurrection, he has brought us near. We can sing praise to the name above all names, the name of Jesus.

***

Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org

2025 05/18 Psalm 8; What Is Man? Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20250518_psalm-8.mp3

Psalm 8 begins and ends with ‘O YHWH our Master, how majestic is your name in all the earth’. Psalm 8 is a hymn of praise to God. It looks up and out at all creation, and it looks down and in at ourselves, and marvels at our place in it all.

Psalm 8

To the Choirmaster according to the Gittith; A Psalm of David

1 O LORD, our Lord,

how majestic is your name in all the earth!

You have set your glory above the heavens.
2 Out of the mouth of babies and infants,

you have established strength because of your foes,

to still the enemy and the avenger.

3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,

the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
4 what is man that you are mindful of him,

and the son of man that you care for him?

5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings

and crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;

you have put all things under his feet,
7 all sheep and oxen,

and also the beasts of the field,
8 the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,

whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

9 O LORD, our Lord,

how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Created For Worship

Psalm 8 is the answer to Psalm 7, which concludes with these words:

Psalm 7:17 I will give to the LORD the thanks due to his righteousness,

and I will sing praise to the name of the LORD, the Most High.

David does what he said he would do in Psalm 7 and sings praise to the name of YHWH the Most High.

A ‘name’ in Scripture refers to the reputation, the character, the distinctive attributes and authority of the person who bears the name. YHWH our Lord has a reputation, and we as his people have a responsibility to uphold and bring praise to his good name. God’s majesty, his grandeur, his beauty and glory is above all, and we were created to enjoy him in all his awesome fullness.

This is the first Psalm that is intended to be an expression of praise sung by the gathered community. ‘O YHWH our Lord;’ the other Psalms so far deal more in ‘I’ and ‘you’ and ‘they’. They are more individual, more personal in nature, but this Psalm is intended to be sung, an expression of worship to our magnificent Creator.

Human Weakness Displays God’s Strength

Verse 2 introduces ‘foes, the enemy and the avenger,’ but they are not new on the scene of the Psalms. Psalm 1 begins by drawing contrast between the righteous who delight in the LORD and the wicked. Psalm 2 introduces YHWH’s Anointed, against whom the nations rage and the peoples plot in rebellion. Psalm 3 through 7 are cries to the Lord for rescue from foes, enemies, the wicked, evildoers, liars, bloodthirsty, the deceitful, slanderers. These enemies, the adversaries, the haters, use their power to oppress God’s people. But here in Psalm 8, God holds up the weakest things and sets them up as a fortress against the seemingly powerful enemies. The babblings of newborns and toddlers triumph over the plots of the powerful and strong.

As we see in 1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 1:27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.

The Lord uses the foolish, the weak, the low, the despised, the non-existent to display that he doesn’t even need raw materials to display his glory. We were created to bring him glory; the antithesis to that is boasting in his presence as if I were something, as if I were enough without him. The Lord delights in impossible odds to put on display that he alone is mighty to save. In Judges 7,

Judges 7:2 The LORD said to Gideon, “The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’

The Lord cut down Gideon’s army from 32,000 to 10,000 and again down to 300, armed only with trumpets and empty jars with torches to go against an innumerable multitude like locust, like the sand on the shore (Jdg.7:12,16).

As Jesus said to Paul:

2 Corinthians 12:9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

Paul’s response?

2 Corinthians 12:9 …Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 …For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Do you feel like you can’t do it, like you’re not enough? You’re right! You can’t. But human weakness is the necessary prerequisite for God to display his strength.

What Is Man? Insignificant yet Cared For

Psalm 8:2 Out of the mouth of babies and infants,

you have established strength because of your foes,

to still the enemy and the avenger.

3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,

the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
4 what is man that you are mindful of him,

and the son of man that you care for him?

The heavens, the moon and the stars; mere detail work requiring no great effort as of thigh or arm to heave into place; mere finger work. Take time to look; look up at the sky on a clear day, watch the clouds roll in, thunder and lightning; or on a clear night take advantage of our dark skies and ponder the sheer magnitude of stars and galaxies, and feel your own smallness. What is man? Minuscule, insignificant, a breath. Yet God is mindful of you. He remembers you. And to remember in Biblical language is not just a mental exercise; it is a commitment to act. God cares. What is man, and yet you care for me!

Man The Pinnacle of Creation

Psalm 8:5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings

and crowned him with glory and honor.

A little lower than Elohim; there is some ambiguity as to how to translate it here. Most often it is used for God himself, sometimes for heavenly beings, angels. Man is a speck in God’s expansive creation, and yet God crowned him with glory and honor. God made him a little lower than God. In spite of our smallness, there is a weightiness to mankind. We have been crowned, given royal authority.

The Image of God; Dominion

Psalm 8:6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;

you have put all things under his feet,
7 all sheep and oxen,

and also the beasts of the field,
8 the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,

whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

Created in the image of God, we were given authority to rule over the rest of creation, to lead, to feed, to guard and to guide. All things; domestic animals, wild animals, birds, fish, great sea creatures; many of them larger and more powerful than man, yet all of them entrusted by our Creator into our care, placed under our authority. What is man, yet you appoint us as kings, ruling over your creation under you.

Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

What Is Man? Treasonous Usurpers

Here’s the irony; the foes and enemies as well as the weak and powerless are all part of broken fallen humanity. Because of our rebellion and abuse of God given authority, mankind is now divided into foes and friends of God, rebels and the righteous; and none is righteous, no not one (Rom.3:10). What is man? Treasonous usurpers. Glory stealers. What is man? All we see is distortions, perversions of what mankind was intended to be.

What is Man? Jesus the Ideal Man

What is man? The only way for us to know mankind as we were meant to be, exercising dominion rightly, is for an ideal man to come, one not tainted by our sin, one who truly reflects the character of God and rightly upholds his reputation. We need Jesus, God who became man, the image of the invisible God, firstborn over all creation.

But when Jesus came, those with power and authority;

Matthew 21:15 But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant, 16 and they said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read,

“‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise’?” (Ps.8:2).

Jesus did not come flexing his strength to his own advantage; He came in humility:

Matthew 20:28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

He humbled himself:

Philippians 2:8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

What is man? After Jesus was mocked and abused by the soldiers,

John 19:5 So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold the man!”

Jesus used his weakness and humility to win the greatest victory over the most powerful foe. He defeated death and hell by dying. He took my place, paid my price, so my sin could be done away with, so I could become who I was meant to be, begin to image the glory of God and give him the praise he is due.

Only Jesus shows us what mankind is truly meant to be; look to Jesus!

Jesus in Psalm 8 (Hebrews 2)

The author of Hebrews clearly connects this Psalm to Jesus:

Hebrews 2:6 It has been testified somewhere,

“What is man, that you are mindful of him,

or the son of man, that you care for him?

7 You made him for a little while lower than the angels;

you have crowned him with glory and honor,

8 putting everything in subjection under his feet.”

Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him.

Even today not everything is subjected to mankind. This points to a future subjection.

Hebrews 2:9 But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

Hebrews sees this Psalm as pointing to the future. Mankind has never exercised God’s delegated dominion the way it was meant to be. If you lack purpose and want inward transformation; look to Jesus! Worship, sing his praises, for he is worthy!

Psalm 8

1 O LORD, our Lord,

how majestic is your name in all the earth!

You have set your glory above the heavens.
2 Out of the mouth of babies and infants,

you have established strength because of your foes,

to still the enemy and the avenger.

3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,

the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
4 what is man that you are mindful of him,

and the son of man that you care for him?

5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings

and crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;

you have put all things under his feet,
7 all sheep and oxen,

and also the beasts of the field,
8 the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,

whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

9 O LORD, our Lord,

how majestic is your name in all the earth!

***

Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org